Tanker truck driver dies in fiery accident in Nappanee

May 24—NAPPANEE — A tanker truck driver has died in a fiery crash in Nappanee.

The truck caught fire after rolling onto its side on Tomahawk Trail in Nappanee.

Indiana State Police, which was assisting the Nappanee Police Department and Elkhart County Sheriff's Office, reported at approximately 12:55 p.m. Friday, officers with the Nappanee Police Department and an Indiana State Trooper responded to a single-vehicle rollover crash on Tomahawk Trail near ATC Trailers.

The tanker truck was destroyed and the pavement around it badly charred, with Tomahawk Trail blocked off in both directions around the site.

A preliminary investigation indicated that a straight truck tanker was traveling south on Tomahawk Trail when it is believed the truck ran off the road to the right and lost control, an ISP new release stated. As the truck came back onto the roadway, the truck rolled onto the right side and continued to slide southbound. As the truck slid, it caught on fire and spun around coming to rest facing north in the northbound lane, the statement reads.

The driver of the truck was pronounced dead at the scene by the Elkhart County Coroner's Office.

The Elkhart County Coroner will make positive identification of the driver following an autopsy.

The Nappanee Fire Department, Bremen Fire Department, and Elkhart Fire Department all responded to get the large fire under control. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management also responded due to the truck's cargo of flammable material.

This is an ongoing crash investigation and there is no other information to be released currently, ISP reported.